Pumps have been important to human civilization since virtually the dawn of recorded history. People have almost always had some need to transport a fluid from one location to another. Humans probably invented the first pump in connection with the need for irrigating crops, and/or for supplying a settlement with water. Since that time, people have applied pumps to meet other fluid transportation needs, such as removing oil from wells, circulating refrigerant through cooling systems, pressurizing air for use in pneumatic systems, which are just a few examples of the many applications for pumps.
A problem common to all pumps has been maximizing the fluid flow rate through a pump for a given size/weight of pump, i.e., maximizing pumping efficiency. For urging a fluid in a particular direction, most pumps employ one of two systems: (i) positive displacement, or (ii) or centrifugal action. In either system, the result is to urge fluid to flow in a particular direction.
These systems of course require a motor, i.e., some mechanism for supplying the motive force for either causing positive displacement or centrifugal action in the pump. In all such systems presently known to the inventor, a non-integral motor has been used to supply the motive force. Specifically, a motor connects through a shaft, gearing, roller, or other mechanical arrangement, and supplies the motive force for either causing positive displacement or centrifugal action within a pump.
While satisfactory for many applications, the mechanical arrangement coupling the pump motor to the fluid flow mechanism in a pumping system necessarily introduces costs and inefficiencies. For instance, all coupling mechanisms are costly, are susceptible to breakdown, take up space, add weight to the pumping system, and cause frictional losses.
The present invention provides an improved arrangement.